Saturday, April 2, 2011

As word filters out about new fighting in this province casualty announcements are also leaking out in the last few days of March six members of the 101st Airmobile division have been killed. Konar is home of the Korengal and Waigal Valleys which have been a source of intense combat for several years. Basically ISAF has surrendered most of this area to the Taliban when they gave up their outposts and decided on bigger bases and to conduct mobile operations in the area.

The 2011 fighting season has begun in earnest and in some places like Helmand it never ended.

In March the US suffered 31 KIA

Konar - 7 Borders Pakistan and is a funnel for fighters coming from the Tribal Areas. Except for the people that live in the valley along the Pech river who view us by what we can give them the people here HATE us. With a little aid from their friends in Pakistan they fight us every chance the get.

Khandahar - 7 The traditional homeland of the Taliban.

Helmand - 6 Has seen heavy fighting since the invasion of Afghanistan. Britain suffered almost all of their casualties here. The Marines took over last year and have been engaged in heavy fighting ever since. According to the General in charge of Marine operations in Helmand this summer they are moving to the border and are going to attempt to control the crossings from Pakistan. Stay tuned for this fight it is going to be bad.

Logar - 4

Wardak - 3

Kunduz - 1

Patika - 1

Khowst - 1 a traditional Haqqani Network stronghold maybe all the operations against them are paying off.

Sunday, March 27, 2011

"You have to defeat the enemy on the battlefield before you can do anything else." I have started reading Bing West's "The Wrong War". I have a great deal of respect for General West's previous books especially "No True Glory" about the battle of Fallujah it will break your heart. Here is a taste of the book.